battery hen
Confined egg-layer
A battery hen is a chicken raised in a battery cage, a small wire enclosure in an industrial farming operation where hens are kept in close confinement for egg production.
The term carries negative connotations, often invoked by animal welfare advocates to criticize factory farming conditions.
The documentary showed battery hens packed so tightly they couldn't spread their wings.
By extension, battery hen sometimes describes people confined to cramped, repetitive work environments.
Deliberate harm-causing disposition
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
- overcrowdingCapacity exceeded dangerously
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- humaneMarked by kindness
ethics · compassion · rescue · sanctuary · protection · sentience · advocacy · reform
Putting down horizontally
- eggReproductive cell in shell
- ovipositionDepositing eggs externally
- shellHard outer covering
- yolkEgg's nutrient core
albumen · clutch · hatchery · breeding · pullet · layer · productivity · calcium
Intensive livestock production system
- animal rightsMoral claims for fauna
- activismDirect effort for reform
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- debateFormal argument on issues
campaign · boycott · exposé · public outcry · policy change · consumer choice · labeling · cage-free
cruelty
Deliberate harm-causing disposition
- sufferingSustained experience of distress
- overcrowdingCapacity exceeded dangerously
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
humane · ethics · compassion · rescue · sanctuary · protection · sentience · advocacy · reform · legislation
laying
Putting down horizontally
- eggReproductive cell in shell
- ovipositionDepositing eggs externally
- shellHard outer covering
yolk · albumen · clutch · hatchery · breeding · pullet · layer · productivity · calcium · flock
factory farming
Intensive livestock production system
- animal rightsMoral claims for fauna
- activismDirect effort for reform
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
debate · campaign · boycott · exposé · public outcry · policy change · consumer choice · labeling · cage-free · free-range
cage
Barred confinement structure
restrictive · captivity · barred · confined · stacked · A-frame · perch · nesting box · density · ventilation